The Earth’s climate is warming, causing both biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system. Increasing temperature seems to alter the way soil organic matter (SOM) is processed, causing the carbon stored in soils to transfer to the atmosphere. Though soil microbes are major drivers of soil carbon cycling, the process by which temperature affects… [Read More]

RNA sequencing enables researchers to gain information about gene expression. In this case it is being used to identify the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms in switchgrass, particularly related to cell wall synthesis, for bioenergy crop relevant traits. Switchgrass is being developed as a bioenergy crop because it is already high-yielding and stress tolerant; nonetheless,… [Read More]

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) attracts bioenergy researchers because of its potential for high yield under low input conditions, native origin and wide adaptation and is well along in its development and use as a bioenergy crop. Resequencing multiple lines of switchgrass will provide researchers with a uniform set of genomic variation data, hopefully facilitating development of… [Read More]

A more accurate and detailed understanding of the evolution of regulatory sequences is critical to contemporary genome research. In order to study the evolution of cis-regulation, this project aims to identify and construct functional models of regulatory sequences from a carefully chosen set of developmental genes. The genes will be selected from three diverse families… [Read More]

Karenia brevis (Davis) Hanson and Moestrup is a unicellular dinoflagellate protist that causes harmful algal blooms that occur annually in the Gulf of Mexico. These “red tides” cause extensive marine animal mortalities and human illness through the production of highly potent neurotoxins known as brevetoxins. Insight into the molecular mechanisms that control the growth and… [Read More]

Plant mitochondrial genomes are one of the last great frontiers for comparative sequencing. Our knowledge of these genomes comes from mapping studies, extensive Southern blot surveys, and very limited sequencing. Furthermore, compared to chloroplast genomes, they have been little used in reconstructing plant phylogeny. Plant mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced from only four angiosperms and… [Read More]

Capitella capitata is a polychaete annelid (a bristle worm) and will be among the first of the Lophotrochozoa (a large superphylum comprising about 1/3 of animal life) to have its genome sequenced. This species has a simple external anatomy that represents well the common body plan of an annelid worm.  It is small, adults ranging… [Read More]

The goal of this project is to produce, annotate, and analyze a high-quality draft genomic sequence for a gastropod mollusk, the limpet Lottia scutum. Molluscs and annelids represent two diverse animal phyla that are united (along with several other groups of unsegmented worms) within the superphylum Spiralia, sharing spiral cleavage patterns early in development that… [Read More]